Strawberries and Cyanide
by KittyMarks
Summary: When Ruri finds an odd ring and is ruthlessly thrown into the Narutoverse she must learn to cope with the harsh realitys of being a shinobi. Robbed of emotions and with the ring mutating her body Ruri must stop at nothing to survive. M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Death Note. I just like to screw around with the characters!

Please read and Review!!

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Strawberries and Cyanide.

By KittyMarks.

Chapter One: The Ring.

The sun shone brightly in the sky and a few clouds lazily swam across the blue expanse to the whim of a light breeze. It was summer and flowers were blooming everywhere and their sweet scent filled the air. A loud musical ringing broke the tranquil silence and was followed by cheers and whoops of delight as students left the school for the summer holidays.

One such student, Ruri Asakura smiled happily with her face to the sun, her friends Simon and Aine were chattering along excitedly about a pool party their mam was planning. Simon and Aine were twins, and so alike they could be identical if not for the different genders. They both had soft blond hair that whisped down to their shoulders and small pointed features with brown eyes. Ruri sighed when she looked at Aines hair and tugged self-consciously at her own vivid red locks. Completely natural, no matter what the teachers at school said. It was short as well, and spiky, like a hedgehog. Ruri sighed and her bony shoulders slumped.

Aine looked at her worridly and wrapped a small arm around her shoulders. "C'mon Ru, were gonna head to the park!" the blonde said in an attempt to cheer her up. Aine didn't quite know what her friend was upset about but everything could be solved by playing in the park. Simon nodded excitedly, the park was fun and they could play on the swings if none of the bigger kids were around. Simon frowned, it wasn't even like the big kids _swang_ on the swings, they just sat in them and talked. Boo-ooring! Ruri smiled but shook her head and looked down the road.

"I can't guys, My nana said she'd collect me this time so I have to wait on her. She promised she'd be there so I can't come with you's or she wont know where I am." Ruri explained as she sat on the curb of the sidewalk. Aines frown matched Simons, Ruri's nana _never_ collected her. Even when she said she would, she didn't. Ruri said she just forgot but Aine knew that _her_ granny would never forget about her so why would Ruri's?.

"Pleeease Ru?" Simon begged giving her the puppy dog eyes. Ruri just smiled a little sadly and waved them on. Aine gave her a big hug and promised that they'd knock for her tomorrow, Simon nodded in agreement before running off in the direction of the park. Aine threw her friend on last pleading glance before following her twin. Ruri sighed and put her chin in her hands as she waited. If her nana didn't arrive within an hour Ruri would walk home alone, it wasn't all that far and she could take a shortcut through Moonys field. It was a large patch of land that lay undeveloped a few blocks from her house. It belonged to Rachel Moony, who never sold to any of the agent people despite being offered loads of money for the land. Everybody agreed that Rachel Moony was one crazy old lady.

The sun rose higher in the sky as the hour past, Ruri looked sadly at her watch before getting up off the pavement and walking slowly down the road. Nana hadn't come so she was probably watching a game show or sleeping. She lived around twenty minutes away so if she ran and cut through Moonys farm she'd make it in ten. With another long suffering sigh Ruri picked up the pace and ran down the street, red brick houses bluring in her peripheral vision. As she lept over the fence for Moonys field her foot landed on something small and slippy, she lost her balance and fell face foreward onto the grass. Ruri frowned and looked irritably at her now muddy school uniform.

The usually nice red blazer and navy skirt was now covered in mud and little stalks of grass. "Grrr." she growled as she looked around for the offending piece of, whatever the hell it was that she had tripped on. It was a ring. A small, rather pretty bone white ring. It was shaped like a snake with its tale in its mouth and the snake had two onyx eyes that glittered eirily. Despite the fact that Ruri had stepped on it the ring wasn't the least bit dirty. It shone brightly in the grass and when Ruri picked it up the white surface was smooth and almost warm to touch, kinda like skin. Eww, gross.

Forgetting her initial disgust Ruri slid the ring onto the middle finger of her left hand. It fit perfectly, like a proverbial glove. Ruri gasped as she felt warmth radiating from the ring and into her finger, up her arm, like liquid heat running trough her veins. The ring seemed to melt a little into her finger and when Ruri tried to pry it of the digit a shooting pain went up her arm. "Ookay, no touchie the creepy ring." Ruri muttered to herself. The ring was pretty and if it wanted to stay on her finger it was welcome to, as long as it didn't start talking or try to eat her.

Ruri walked a little slower the rest of the way home and made it back in around thirteen minutes. No-one answered the door when she knocked so Ruri used the spare key hidden under the flower pot. When she got inside the house was empty. Her nana was asleep, sitting upright on the couch with the remote clutched weakly in her hands. Ruri ran a hand down her face as she turned around and stomped upstairs with all the strength her little seven year old body could muster.

She entered her room which was depressingly utilitarian. White walls, white floor, single bed set against the wall with the window that overlooked the garden. A small desk with a small lamp, some blank pages and a few pens was in the corner. No teddies, no posters, no life. Anything cluttered or loud upset her nana so Ruri kept all her hidden in a box under her bed. She pulled out that box now. There were some manga; Naruto and Death Note mostly, some comics; Marvel, a jar of sweets and five cans of coke.

Ruri opened a Naruto manga, volume eighteen, she'd read it like a thousand times already but that was beside the point. Ruri opened the jar of sweets and popped one into her mouth. Mmm strawberry flavoured. Ruri settled down on the computer chair next to her desk and read the manga while sipping a can of coke. Ruri started when she heard shuffling downstairs and hastily shoved all her things back in the box and under the bed just as her nanas head poked in around the door.

"Hello Ruri, what are you doing home so early?" the old woman asked, her silver hair was cut just past her shoulders and it framed her small face perfectly, her pale blue eyes were dreamy as she looked happily around the room. Nana was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and a white turtleneck. Depite the fact that she was in her late seventies she looked around forty and a childish smile lit her face as she looked down at her grandaughter.

Ruri had been with her grandmother since before she could remember. From what her nana had

said it seemed her mother had a fling and got herself pregnant, gave birth to Ruri, dumped the baby at her mothers house and dissapeared. Ruri didn't care either way, the woman sounded like she would have made a shitty mother had she stuck around to try. Ruri looked back up at her nana and got up off the floor.

"Hey nana, uh, nope. School ended two hours ago. I got to walk home, it was fun 'cos it was sunny!" she said plastering a smile on her face and hugging the elderly woman. Her nana wobbled on her feet slightly before patting Ruri on the head. "Did you? That sounds like fun." she murmered before turning around and walking back down the stairs humming softly. As soon as she was out of hearing range Ruri sighed and kicked the leg of her desk. It hurt her foot. She swore. And kicked it again for good mesure.

She looked curiously down at the ring on her finger, it seemed . . . Happy. If jewlery can be happy. Its white surface was glowing slightly and it calmed Ruri down some what. She ran the fingers of her right hand over the ring and then lied down on her bed, the white cheets creased and the mattress squeaked a little bit. "Not hungry now so I guess I'll eat later." Ruri muttered to no-one in particular, the ring on her finger pulsed in agreement and Ruri petted it calmly. "I'm almost glad I slipped in the mud and found you, little ring . . . wait MUD! Oh shit!" Ruri gasped.

She sat up suddenly and shook her bangs out of her eyes as she looked down at her bed, she had forgotton to take off her dirty clothes and now the once pristine bed sheets were sprinkled with mud. Ruri cursed again and jumped up of the bed, she pulled off her school uniform and bundled it into the washbasket outside her bedroom door and then pulled on an oversized black t-shirt and a pair of dark green shorts. She then padded bare foot back over to the bed and stripped off the sheets before stuffing them in the basket along with her uniform.

Ruri looked at the mirror across the hall and met the irritated green eyes of her reflection. They were her best feature Ruri mused, big jade coloured eyes set in a small face below thin red eyebrows and surrounded by choppy, scarlet bangs. A frown creased her lips, and her brows furrowed making her even more unatractive. She was seven and not really supposed to care about looks and the like but at this moment she couldn't help but think of Aine, Simon and her sometimes babysitter Sandra. While Aine and Simon where bright and blond, Sandra was the exact opposite with coffee coloured skin and long straight black hair. Sandra was the one who had gotten her into manga.

"Gah." Ruri grumbled irritably, stomping back into her room and slamming the door loudly behind her. The ring on her finger pulsed again almost in reaction to her rage and Ruri gasped as her hand felt like it had been dumped in a bucket of boiling water. She looked down and from the ring small tendrils of white branched off and followed the patterns of her bones beneath the skin of her hands. The strands of white where cold to touch, contrasting with the heat radiating from her hand. Ruris eyes widened in surprise and she fell back onto her butt when a giant portal apeared in front of her.

Through it she could see trees, loads of them. It was very green and she could smell wild flowers, it was probably a wood. Ruris fingers gently traced the outline of the portal, it was like passing her hand through jelly or tar. She swallowed loudly and balled her hands into fists as she stood up shakily and walked through the portal. As long as it remained open she could just hop straight back through in time for dinner.

Ruri grimanced as she waded through the thick air, it was much longer than it had looked from her room and her legs were getting tired from pushing against the tar like atmosphere. Ruri covered her eyes with a hand as white lights erupted around her, she squinted against the brightness just in time to see two dark, shadow like hands shoot towards her, her knees buckled as one clawed hand tore through her chest. Ruri keened in agony and spat out blood as the second hand sliced at her right arm, tears of pain ran down her cheeks and mingled with the blood dripping down her chin. Ruri stumbled and fell forwards.

Her head met cool grass instead of the thick/tar/jelly feeling of the portal floor. Ruri coughed weekly and then screamed again, the sound tore at her throat and made the pain in her chest much worse, she cut off screaming abruptly and vomited blood all over the forest floor. It was cold. She was cold and in pain and alone. Hopefully nana would find her. Would save her. Somehow Ruri doubted her nana was even awake, she was old and tired and slept more often than she ate.

Ruris eyes slowly fluttered closed and she coughed up more blood, the grass beneath her was stained red and her felt so _cold._ "H-he-help" Ruri stuttered, her tongue felt heavy and she couldn't feel anything. Her body was numb, though compared to the pain of before it was a welcome relief. Ruri opened her mouth to call weakly again but slowly closed her mouth. No one would come, she was alone in some god-forsake forest and she was seriously injured. The ring on her finger sent pleasant jolts of warmth up her left arm, warning her not to close her eyes and go asleep but Ruri ignored it. She was so, so _tired . . ._

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A/N: Yes I know cliff hanger. -Chuckles Eviliy- I think I've changed this story over a hundred times before settling on a setting that I like and a Cannon-verse I can work with. Its been bugging me like crazy, damn evil plot bunnys from hell!!

Thanks for reading! ^^

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	2. Missing

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Death Note. If I did LxLight would be cannon.

Please read and review.

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Strawberries and Cyanide.

By Xx_Sakura_Blossom_xX.

Chapter Two: Missing.

Wakai Taisei had been a doctor at Konoha Hospital for over fifty years. He was one of the most celebrated medi-nin to graduate the academy and had seen more than his fair share of broken bones, cuts, bruises and burns. The patient he was currently helping was in a situation that had only happened twice. At least, it was only recorded twice. One he had delt with himself and the other was overlooked by his predecessor, Ootori Megumi.

A strange person with unexplained wounds to the chest and arm, a piece of jewelry that had welded itself to the wearers skin and pale white veins that bulged around the jewelry. Twice something like this had happened. Each happening had been thirty years apart. Thirty years ago a young man with injuries like these appeared in the forest surrounding Konoha. Thirty years before that an old woman had mysteriously shown up. Both had died from their injuries. Taisei wasn't going to let it happen a third time.

The young girl had been found bleeding heavily from two wounds, one large, one small and she had gone into a shock induced coma. Her body had been discovered by a small group of civillians who had been camping near the area. They reported hearing a scream and when two of them went to investigate they had been shocked to find the body of a young girl. The civillians had initially thought she was a boy and Taisei had to admit that her looks were rather androgynous. Luckily there had been a civillian doctor camping with them and he had managed to stem the bleeding before bringing her to the hospital.

She was still in a coma though Taisei had managed to heal her physical injuries, when he had gotten a Yamanaka to preform a mind walk to know the extent of her wounds the woman had told him that her mind was blank. There were walls keeping her out but the child was not responsible for the blocking. It was the ring on her finger. Taisei had tried to take the ring off but the girls body had reacted violently and he hadn't attempted it again. But he knew now that the ring was sentinent. He and Megumi hadn't gotten a chance to properly examine the jewelry on the other bodies, the bracelet and necklace seemed to have lost all sense of 'life' when its wearer died.

The Yamanaka had been able to glean somethings from the girls mind. Her name was Asakura Ruri, she was seven years old and had previously lived with her grandmother Asakura Moira.

She went to a civillian school and had two close friends. Her favourite colour was green and she loved sweet things. The most important fact retreived from Ruris mind was privy only to Taisei himself, Yamanaka Kikyo and the Sandaime Hokage. Ruri came from an alternate dimension, a different world existing paralell to their one and aparantly the ring on Ruris finger had brought her between the worlds.

Since that startling revelation Taisei had done a series of tests on Ruri, with the Hokages consent, of course. It was unfortunate or fortuante, depending on who you were, that Ruri was not awake to give _her_ consent. The blood tests had shown that her blood was not completely human. It was mixed in with something not quite animal, almost like the dried, condensed blood of corpses and it was a dark, dark red in colour. Almost black and it showed through the veins in her wrists and neck. According to Kikyo she should be waking up soon, today in fact so Taisei was heading down to her hospital room to check up on her.

He walked briskly down the sterile corridor and nodded at the two chunnin guards outside Ruris hospital room. One of them, a short black haired girl, Uchiha by the looks of it, made as if to stop him from entering. Taisei sighed and held up his wrist so she could see the seal engraved there. It identified him as the chief doctor of Konoha hospital. The Uchiha looked it over slowly, flashing her sharringan. Taisei tapped his foot irritably and the Uchihas partner, a brown haired boy with a lip ring, rolled his eyes and waved him on. Taisei smiled wryly at him and stepped inside the room.

The young girl was lying on a hospital bed in the middle of the room. A machine monitoring her heart bliped every few seconds and an IV was connected to a bag containing clear fluid, the bag was half empty and Taisei made a small note on his clipboard to bring some more soon. Ruri was pale but that was because of her odd blood. They couldn't give her a transfusion so they had to wait for her blood to replensish naturally. Her eyes moved beneath their lids and her lips were pulled taunt, no doubt she was in pain, the anestetics didn't work on her either. Taisei sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he pulled up the visitors chair from the corner of the room and sat down. He would have to wait until she woke up.

Hours passed and the sun dipped lower in the sky, Taisei stood up and switched on the light and just as he turned around Ruri made a small pained sound and opened her eyes. Quick as a flash Taisei was beside the bed. Emerald eyes stared up at him confused and then closed as the gurl winced and shuddered. Taisei checked her pulse and the heart monitor, nothing was wrong with her just the pain from her injuries. The doctor frowned and gently shook Ruri, her eyes fluttered open again and she coughed weakly.

"Wh-who are . . . where a-am I, wh-whats g-going on?" she asked her voice was almost too soft to hear and she stuttered over the words. Taisei patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Its okay Ruri-san. Your okay, we've fixed up your injuries and now that your awake you can recieve visitors." Taisei murmered and the red head nodded slowly. "So I'm i-in a hospital?" she asked and Taisei smiled down at her. "Yes, but now Ruri-san you need to rest. I'm going to get the Hokage and then we'll talk okay?" he said as he turned and went to open the door. Ruris eyes widened as he left and she half sat up in the bed, ignoring the pain in her chest. 'Hokage'?. When another wave of pain spread form her chest Ruri looked down to see bandages wrapped around her torso, blood was leaking through the material and the red head swayed a little woozily.

Taisei walked back down the corridor with a slight bounce in his step. Now that Ruri was awake he could get the Hokage and they could interrogate her and find out all about her alternate dimension. He didn't notice the black haired Uchiha girl slip into the room, or the fact that her compainion was slumped oddly against the wall. Uchiha Mitsu walked purposfully into the hospital room. Glancing at the young child sitting up in the bed, suspicious green eyes followed her as she picked up the clipboard hanging at the end of the bed, the childs name was Asakura Ruri.

"Okay Asakura-san. I am one of your guards while you are staying here in the hospital, I may be asked to follow you after you have been released so I would like to introduce myself, I am Uchiha Mitsu and I am a chunin of Konohakagure no sato." Mitsu said and Ruri gaped at her. "Uchiha? Chunin? Konoha? WHAT?!" Ruri yelled before choking and coughing, the monitor beside her bleeped rapidly and Mitsu swore. "Shhh, relax Asakura-san. You are currently in Konoha General Hospital suffering from major injuries to your chest and arm. You have been in a coma for the past week recouperating." Mitsu said and Ruri apeared to relax, even though she was anything but calm. The red heads mind was reeling as she took in the new information and idily she though about whether or not to tell the Uchiha that her wound had re-opened.

She was apperantly in Konoha and was being guarded by a chunin Uchiha. That gave her a time frame, it was before the massacre at least. Ruri looked hesitantly up at the older girl and said. "Prove it." the black haired girl blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?". "Prove it, prove your an Uchiha and a Chunin, and no, your headband does not count. You can but those for a fiver a piece on Ebay." Ruri deadpanned and the older girl snarled at her before narrowing her eyes slightly. Ruris own eyes widen when she saw the once black orbs of the girl turn crimson and two little black commas apeared in each eye. "Cool . . . " Ruri breathed.

The Uchiha nodded smugly."I'm just saying all this so if you see me following you outside that you don't get alarmed, I'm just doing my job." Mitsu said and she looked around quickly and put the chart back at the end of the bed. The Uchiha nodded at Ruri and slipped out the door. Ruri heard a boy yelling. "Ow, what the fuck happened Mitsu?!" and the Uchiha replying in a deadpan tone. "You fell asleep dumbass." Then she heard the sound of two sharp sets of footsteps and a murmered "Hokage-sama" before the door to her room was opened again and an old man wearing white and red robes entered, behind him was the doctor from before. The doctor smiled when he saw she was still up and gestured at the Hokage.

"Now, Ruri-san, Hokage-sama is just going to ask you a few questions, please answer truthfully okay?" he said in a soothing tone, kind of like he was talking to a baby. Ruri decided she didn't like this doctor at all but she agreed all the same. The Hokage started to ask her normal stuff, like what her name was, her date of birth, her favourite colour and then he would throw in the odd 'Does your world have shinobi?' or 'What is the name of your country?'. Ruri was exhausted and found it hard to ask some of the questions. After and hour or so the Hokage smiled warmly and thanked her before leaveing and the doctor, whos name Ruri learnt was Taiseu hooked another bag of fluid to her IV. A few seconds later she was asleep.

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When Ruri woke up again she was in a lot less pain also the bandages around her chest were new and clean, no blood. She ran a thin hand through her hair and grimanced at the knots, tugging them out with her fingers. She looked around the room irritably, her green eyes narrowed as she glanced out the window. Yep, there it was, the Hokage mountain in all its four faced glory. So she was really in the Narutoverse, it was amazing, brilliant and also very scary. What would happen to her Nana know that she was here and would she ever be able to go home. The ring on her finger pulsed a little and Ruri unconsciously patted it.

She sat up and hopped out of the bed, swaying woozily from the sudden vertigo and leaning back against the bed. The IV tugged painfully at her arm and Ruri scowled, she hated needles. With a decisive nod she pulled the needle out of her arm and wrapped a tissue from a box on her bedside table around the bleeding puncture. She tiptoed over to the door and quietly listened to see if the Uchiha and the other boy she'd heard were guarding her. Nothing sounded form outside so Ruri pushed open to door to see an attractive brown haired boy of about fifteen slumped against the wall, his breathing slow and even. The Uchiha was no-where to be seen and with a sly grin Ruri shuffled down the corridor to explore leaving the door to her room wide open.

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"Yes Fugaku-sama, from what I've gathered she is important. Her chakra is odd and her wounds have healed remarkable fast. It could be a kekkai genkai of sorts and it warrants looking over." Mitsu said respectfully bowing her head when her clan leader fixed his piercing black eyes on her. He nodded and frowned at the report in his hands.

When he had heard from Uchiha Tama, a civillian doctor that a young girl had been found badly wounded in the forest with no indication of how she got there and why, his interest had been piqued. It had been no problem to get one of his spys guarding the girl and it appeared his suspicions were true. This girl could be of use to the clan. With another nod of his head Mitsu disspeared in a swirl of smoke and leaves back to the hospital.

She smirked, it was too easy to drug the other guard, Kain. He was such a dumbass he never even realised he'd been drugged even after he'd woken up. Now with this information she'd be in Fugaku-samas good books and start getting good missions and decent pay. When she poffed back into the hospital the corridor was thankfull empty, she didn't need to explain to some do-gooder nurse where she'd been when she was supposed to be guarding.

She blinked in surprise and looked at the still sleeping Kain and then back at the open hospital door, she cursed and ran into the room to find it empty. With eyes wide Mitsu could practicaly see her promotion flying away she dashed back through the door and down the corridor looking for her missing ward. She was going to be in soo much shit for this.

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Finally second chapter up!! Please read and review and let me know what you think!

XxX

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	3. Itachi

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A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned the anime Naruto everyone would end up gay or dead. So its probably I good thing I dont have any legal rights to it or its characters . . .

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Strawberries and Cyanide.

By KittyMarks

Chapter Three: Itachi.

Ruri scampered down the sterile hallways of the hospital being sure to avoid the nurses and doctors and other patients by ducking into un-used rooms or empty side-corridors. Its was a very large hospital and Ruri looked on with wide eyed wonder from her hiding spots as determined medi-nins healed grevious wounds and cured illnesses with the touch of a glowing green hand. It was amazing and she had pinched herself untold times to make sure she wasn't dreaming, though she didn't have too, the wound on her chest had re-opened again and it throbbed insistantly and bled a dark red blood out onto the stark white of the bandages, the pain did a good job of reminding her where she was and how she'd gotton there .

Ruri only realised when she had ran into an un-used hosptal ward that she was half naked only wearing a pair of too big, white hospital issue trousers and bloodied bangages around her torso and a smaller set of bandages around her upper arm but nothing else. She cursed softly, suddenly feeling the chill and wrapped her arms around her waist and sank to the floor, leaning her head against the closed door. A soft cough alerted her to the fact that she was not alone. With a small strangled sound Ruri turned her head so sharply that the bones in her neck cracked and looked over at the dark haired boy lounging up on a hospital bed in the far corner of the ward, he'd been so quiet she hadn't noticed him until now. His eyes were black in colour and looked amused as he looked down at her and Ruri felt an embarrassed flush creeping up her neck.

"Who-" Ruri and the boy began at the same time only to interupted by an angry screach from outside the door. "WHERE THE FUCK IS THE KID!? WHY HAVEN'T YOU RETARDS FOUND IT YET! GET TO WORK YOU DUNDERHEADS!" yelled the familiar voice of Uchiha Mitsu, Ruris eyes widened in fear at the angry Uchiha and she hopped up and ran before sliding under the black haired boys bed. She peeped her head out from under it and looked desperately at the boy. His expression was a mix between wary and amused. "Hide me!" she hissed and he arched an eyebrow. "Please?" Ruri croaked and he nodded slowly and lay back down on the bed. The red head sighed in relief and ducked back under the bed and wriggled so that she was farthest away from the door.

The doors to the ward slammed open and Ruri held her breath as she saw the furious girl stomp into to room with a deranged snarl on her face through the gap between the sheets and the floor. The Uchiha stopped and paled as she saw the boy on the bed. "It-Itachi-sama?!" she squeaked and Ruris eyebrows shot up to her hairline. Itachi? She was hiding under Uchiha Itachis bed, oh shit. "Why are you here?" Itachis smooth, irritated but still young sounding voice asked and the girl gulped. "Um, sorry Itachi-sama, I'm looking for a patient I was guarding, it escaped when I went to the . . . um, bathroom. Yeah, the bathroom, my partner fell asleep and she escaped so I'm trying to find the kid." she breathed with a weird glint in her eyes. Ruri grimanced, Mitsu was an Itachi fangirl, ew.

Itachi seemed to think so too because his tone became cold and sarcastic. "I think I would notice a sick child running around in my ward, don't you? I injured my arm not my head and I thank you not to burden me with your incompetence. Leave." he ordered and the Uchiha girl paled even further and she sketched a quick bow. "Ye-yes, Itachi-sama." she whispered and then turned around and fled the ward. When she was out of sight Ruri whistled lowly and crawled out from under Itachis bed and though idliy how many fangirls would kill to be in her position. The boy looked back down at her as she stood up and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Thanks for that, uh, Itachi?" she made it sound like a question. He nodded and narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked as he swung his legs off the bed and lightly jumped onto the tiled floor, Ruri was envious of the natural grace he possesed and tugged at her hair self consiously. "My names Ruri, I'm a patient here" she said and he nodded again and looked around before walking over to the window and sliding it open. He glanced back at Ruri "You never saw me, understand?" he asked as he sat on the ledge and prepared to jump. "Were up two stories!" Ruri gasped as she ran towards him. Itachi just smirked and pushed himself off the edge and Ruri watched in horror and amazement as he landed softly on the ground below. He glanced up at her, smirk stil in place and then hopped up onto the roof of a nearby building and ran along the top of the building and jumping to another when he ran out of roof. Ruri slapped herself on the forehead.

"He's a ninja, duh! Of course a two story drop wouldn't phase him." she muttered and crept back to the door of the ward.

She opened it a little and peeked outside, no-one was there so she slipped out the door and ran down the empty corridor back towards her room. Three times she was nearly caught by frantic nurses and doctors but she escaped by hiding behind hospital gurries or cleaning trollys. Ruri groaned and wrapped her arms around her chest, it was really begining to ache now and finding her way back to her room was difficult becuase she couldn't remeber all the twists and turns she took to get where she was. "There you are!" a stern voice said and Ruri looked around to see a man with shoulder length brown hair and weird pale, pupil-less eyes, he was wearing a doctors attire and Ruri gulped and waved shyly. "Um, here I am." she said and the man narrowed his eyes. "You've been causing a rukus in this hospital. Come with me and I can inform the Hokage." he ordered and Ruri obediantly trailed after him as he walked briskly down the corridor.

They had been walking five minutes and still had not reached the hospital room and Ruris chest hurt so much that she was having trouble breathing, when the Hyuuga doctor turned around and saw her his odd eyes widened and he paled. "Why didn't you tell me you were in pain?" he demanded as he gently lifted Ruri up and carried her bridal style back down the corridor. She flushed angrily and struggled a bit before the man glared at her to be still. Another ten minutes later and they reached her room with the two frantic guards trying to explain things to a worried Hokage. "I've found her, Hokage-sama" the doctor said in cool voice and the two guards whipped around to see the pale girl slumped against the Hyuugas chest. "Where the fuck was she!" Mitsu raged and then ducked her head at an admonishment from the Hokage.

"If Ruri-san would refrain from leading my shinobi on wild goose chases through the hospital it would be greatly apreciated" he said softly and Ruri nodded tiredly. The Hyuuga walked past the guards and into the room and then laid Ruri down on the bed and frowned at the bloodstained bandages around her chest. "I have to heal and change this, Hokage-sama, Uchiha-san, Nara-san would you mind waiting outside?" he asked politely and they nodded and left the room. The doctors hand glowed blue for a moment and he ran his index finger down across the bandages and they split in half and fell off her chest as if they'd been cut by a knife. His hand then turned green and he held it an inch away from her skin, Ruri looked down to see the horrible jagged wound on her chest slowly closing and with it went the pain. She looked on in wonder as the blood receeded back into the wound and the doctor deftly rolled a clean set of bandages around the angry looking scar.

"Wow" she muttered and the Hyuuga smirked and nodded. "Wow, indeed, I am Hyuuga Tamaki, I am your doctor for the duration of your stay here. If someone else tries to attend to you push the red button over there." he indicated to the little remote beside her bed. "It will alert me and I can come see whats going on. Taisei-sempai is too busy to watch over you constantly as your condition requires." he said unhooking an empty bag from the IV and hooking up a new one, he took the needle up off the ground and frowned at Ruri as he unscrewed the sharp top and fixed on a clean one before sliding it gently into the small needle hole in her arm. Ruri shuddered and scowled at the needle and Tamaki gave her a stern look. "Dont take it off again, its to make you get better, sooner." he ordered and Ruri nodded reluctantly

"You should get some sleep, I'll go inform the Hokage of your condition and inquire about getting new guards, your currant ones are rather lax. I will be back within the hour to see if your okay." he murmered before pulling the covers up to Ruris chin and walking out the door with a small smile and a nod. Ruri sighed and squirmed a bit under the covers, she was too warm and her chest still ached and why the hell hadn't they given her painkillers? Surely in a place where they could heal wounds with a touch of a green hand then they could scrounge up a few measly painkillers, Ruri grumbled mentaly as she heard the Hyuuga chewing out her guards and talking in much more placid tones to the Hokage who answered in a soft rasp then Mitsu yelled "PLEASE JUST GIVE US A SECOND CHANCE, WERE SORRY SO PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!!" her voice shook with desperation. "Fine, one more chance Mitsu-san, please don't fail me again." he said calmly and Ruri heard the clack of sandles walking away followed by a quieter pad of soft shoes.

Ruri shoved off the covers and they fell off the bed and onto a heap in the floor she then curled up into a ball and hissed as she stretched the muscles in her chest. Now she was too cold, damn it but she wasn't going to go pick the covers back up, her pride wouldn't let her, no matter that no-one had seen her throw them off in the first place. Ruri growled curses under her breath and though about the ways she could get home. All she had to do was go back to the woods and find that weird portal and leave, her nana was going to be so worried. Ruri screwed her eyes shut as tears began to form under her lids, what about her friends and her summer homework, hers was the only school in the history of schools to give senior infants summer homework. She thought of her small white room back in her nanas house and off her nanas soft smile and pale blue eyes, what would she do without her, how would nana cope? Ruri sniffled quietly and sighed defeatedly before tugging the blanket up off the floor and wrapping it around her lower body so she wouldn't get too warm. Ruri wiped the tears away and slowly closed her eyes and within minutes she had fallen into an uneasy sleep.

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Nara Kain looked over at his partner as she ranted quietly about what a close shave that was and how he shouldn't be such a lazy ass and how it was all his fault they nearly got fired. He just leaned back against the wall and supressed a sigh, Mitsu got pissed off if it looked like he was bored, his half lidded brown eyes took in her angry, relieved expression, the crazy look in her wide dark eyes and the leaf in her flyaway hair. Now where had she been to get a leaf in her hair, the bathrooms were inside the hospital and there were no plants because some patients were allergic. Kain narrowed his eyes and his tounge flicked out to tap his lip ring as it did when he was thinking. Mitsu was up to something and he knew it but it was far too troublesome to have to go into this, plus Mitsu might hit him again if he asked.

He sighed again and Mitsu glared at him, her sharringan flashing but Kain just rolled his eyes. She was such a drama queen. "Do you think this is funny huh?!" she hissed and shook her fist threateningly, Kain flinched and ducked his head slightly, his uncle was right, women were so troublesome. Mitsu growled in his direction and started to stomp in a circle, fuming. Kain took his chance and slipped into the weird red heads room. She was curled up on the bed with the sheet drapped over her legs. Kain was still surprised to know she was a girl, he'd honestly thought she was a boy with her flat chest, short hair and thin arms and legs.

The girl, Ruri was sleeping and snoring softly. He chuckled, how could one tiny kid create so much rukus. He walked over to the window and threw it open before taking a battered box of cigarettes and a lighter out of his chunin vest. He lit the end of the stick and blew the smoke out the window and watched as the wind breezed away the scent of the cigarettes. Good, because if his mother found out he'd been smoking . . . Kain shuddered and tried to think of happier things, like sleeping and not having to get another mission for a while, he smiled lazily and leaned against the window ledge. Life was good.

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